Michael Mikey Brennan
Michael Mikey Brennan Michael John Brennan '(born 30th November, 1998), known professionally as '''Michael Mikey Brennan '(usually addressed as "Mikey") is an English musician, singer and songwriter known for composing own and cover compositions and publishing them to online streaming and downloading sites such as iTunes/Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, Google Play and Deezer. He is also known for his YouTube videos, and his covers of Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah', Ed Sheeran's 'Lego House', Enrique Iglesias' 'Hero', Keith Whitley's 'When You Say Nothing at All', Michael Jackson's 'Man in the Mirror' and 'You Are Not Alone' and Randy Newman's 'You've Got a Friend in Me'. '''Early Life Brennan was born in Leyton on 30th November, 1998 to parents Della Josephine Brennan and Barry Grogan. Brennan is also a twin brother to Kieran Joseph Brennan (born at 7:45am one minute after Brennan who was born at 7:44am). At the age of three, Brennan and his brother were fostered to new parents Mark Ian Care and Diane Mary Care (previously called, Diane Mary Scott before marriage) and for the remainder of his childhood Brennan grew up in Maidstone. He was raised as a Catholic and attended Holy Family Catholic Primary School but had difficulties with focusing in school due to his ADHD and dropped out of mainstream education in 2008 and was transferred to a special needs school, Bower Grove School where he continued studying from Year 5 to Year 11 and graduated in 2015 with a C grade in GCSE Music Performance and was enrolled onto a Music Performance course at MidKent College in September 2015. He passed Music Performance Level 1 in June 2016 with a BTEC pass grade allowing him to progress onto Music Performance Level 2 which he passed in July 2017 with a RSL Distinction grade allowing him to progress onto Music Performance Level 3. He started singing at the age of 3 but did not take singing seriously until he was 10. His first performance was in 2009 when he was 11, in which he performed Robbie Williams' 'Angels' in his school's Christmas production titled: "The Xmas Factor". He started singing lessons at the age of 11, and started playing guitar at the age of 12 and was taught how to sing and play by his music teachers, Mr. Croft and Mr. Starks. Career First Performance Brennan's career began with his first performance at Bower Grove School in his Christmas production The Xmas Factor (based on The X Factor) in 2009 when he was 11 years old. He sang 'Angels' by Robbie Williams as a tribute to the angels from the Christmas story. Bower Grove School: Another Bower Grove Christmas ''' In 2010 as a current student, Brennan featured with vocals on Bower Grove School's 2010 Christmas charity single project, 'Another Bower Grove Christmas' along with the other current students and members of staff of the school. The song was written by Toby Starks, singer/songwriter and musician, lead vocalist of function bands such as The Starks Family Band and Wheeler Street and the school's music learning support assistant and the lyrics were written by Starks and Danny Wells the school's music teacher. It was released the online music downloading stores iTunes, Amazon and Google Play and streaming services Spotify and Deezer on 18th November, 2010 provided by CD Baby. The money the single raised from the purchasing of the song went towards provision of new outdoor play equipment for the children of the school. '''Michael Mikey Brennan and Mr. Starks (Covers) ''' '''Hallelujah and Lego House In July 2012, Brennan and Toby Starks teamed up together to perform at Bower Grove School's music assembly 2012. They performed Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah' and Ed Sheeran's 'Lego House' with Brennan on vocals and Starks on piano for 'Hallelujah' and electric guitar for 'Lego House'. After the performance, Brennan and Starks went into the Bower Grove School recording studio and recorded studio versions of their covers of the two songs. Brennan uploaded the two covers to YouTube in January 2013 under a YouTube playlist tiled 'On The School Stage EP' On The School Stage EP - YouTube playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnvWCuDskRpjXDhBs5d0mPuaXncn8tdlT which was also released on Brennan's MySpace page. When You Say Nothing At All ''' Following up from the release of their covers of 'Hallelujah' and 'Lego House', in 2013 Brennan and Starks began working on their next cover, a cover of 'When You Say Nothing At All', which became the third of Brennan and Starks' studio recorded covers. Brennan has claimed that their cover featured influenced elements from Ronan Keating's version and Alison Krauss' version, but primarily inspired by Krauss' version. Brennan uploaded the cover to YouTube on 19th April, 2013. Michael Mikey Brennan - "When You Say Nothing At All" Cover https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viu9UqG-tTk They recovered 'When You Say Nothing At All' acoustically in 2015. Brennan confirmed that it was Keating's version that mainly inspired that take on the cover. Michael Mikey Brennan - "When You Say Nothing At All" (Acoustic Cover) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2wftEi1U8A '''Hero In July 2013, Starks and Brennan teamed up once again (but this time with the assistance of Mr. Croft, Jordan Weller and Danny Wells) to take part in the Bower Grove music assembly with an ensemble performance - consisting of Brennan (vocals), Starks (guitar), Wells (bass), Croft (piano) and Weller (drums) - of Enrique Iglesias' 'Hero'. After the performance, Brennan and Starks once again went to the Bower Grove School recording studio and recorded a studio version of the cover, which was recorded by October, 2013 though it was not uploaded to YouTube until 29th January, 2013. Michael Mikey Brennan - "Hero" (Enrique Iglesias Cover) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5aRtUSl-Tw The cover caught the attention of many fans of Iglesias and received many good reviews. It is predicted by many to be Brennan's best cover. Brennan and Starks recovered the song acoustically in 2015. Michael Mikey Brennan - "Hero" (Acoustic Cover) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDf3qxnBRiw Michael Mikey Brennan and Mr. Croft ' From the history of songwriting partnerships such as John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Joe Strummerand Mick Jones, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Carole King and Gerry Goffin and George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley came a new songwriting duo when Brennan met Andrew "Andy" Croft (Mr. Croft) in September 2011 when Croft first began teaching mathematics and music at Bower Grove School. Under the influence of Lennon and McCartney, Jagger and Richards, John and Taupin, Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones, The Proclaimers and Gary Barlow and Robbie Williams, Brennan and Croft became a music duo and started making music together. They started off with lessons where Croft taught Brennan how to play and sing and then started jamming together with Brennan on vocals and Croft on piano. According to Brennan the first song they played together was 'Grenade' by Bruno Mars, followed by 'Replay' by Iyaz. In 2012 continuing up 2013 Brennan and Croft then went onto writing their own original material and wrote and released three original songs: 'Mean Mikey' (October, 2012), 'A Dream' (December, 2012) and 'Can't You See Me' (August, 2013). Brennan and Croft titled this collection of three songs as "The Michael Mikey Brennan and Mr. Croft" ("The Mikey and Mr. Croft Trilogy" for short)/ The name of the collection was inspired by the idea of Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg's film trilogy, 'Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy". Due to school work they only managed to release three original songs during their four years of working together. During those four years they also took part in other projects such as performing in the school's assemblies together. '''Discography ' * Michael Mikey Brennan (2015) '''Influences The Jackson Family are the biggest influence on Brennan. He is especially fond of Michael Jackson who he describes as his "idol", "hero" and "biggest inspiration" and once spoke about Jackson in a YouTube vlog and said that he was reason why he performs stating that: "Without MJ, I wouldn't be performing this very day". He has also credited Jackson as "The greatest entertainer of all time". He has also showed his love and fondness for The King Of Pop by stating that: "There is no other artist closer to my heart than MJ". He has described 'Thriller' as his favourite album of all time, and saw Thriller Live at Marlowe Theatre in 2016 and commented on the musical and said: "Sadly, I never got the chance to see Michael Jackson live, but seeing Thriller Live was the second best thing". He also a big fan of Jackson's other albums 'Off The Wall', 'Bad', 'Dangerous' and 'Invincible', describing them all as "amazing" and he has also described 'Off The Wall' as: "The greatest album of all time". He is also a fan of the young Michael Jackson stuff, and has showed fondness over the song 'Music & Me' stating that: “I don’t have a favourite song, but if I had to choose one I think I’d have to say ’Music & Me’ by young Michael Jackson, it’s one of the closets songs to my heart, it so close that it is almost enough for me to classify it as my ‘favourite song’. It’s impossible for me to choose a favourite song, there are so many great songs and so many that I have formed a connection with, but this song has bonded with my heart. It is such a beautiful track, everything about it is beautiful, the music and the lyrics, everything! It’s a very relatable song, the reason I love it so much is because of my love of music, and I think others who also love music can relate to it as well”. Brennan also covered Jackson's songs 'Man in the Mirror' and 'You Are Not Alone' which he uploaded to his YouTube channel in 2014. He has also cited The Jackson 5 as influences and has stated that: "Listening to their music never fails to cheer me up". He also claims that as a child he listened to 'I Want You Back' over a hundred times. Janet Jackson has also been an influence on Brennan, he has described her as his "favourite female artist". He has also admitted that the lyric "all the memories come back to me in my mind" from his song 'Without You' was taken from Jackson's song 'Again'. Brennan is a big fan of Motown music and in addition to The Jackson 5, he is a fan of other Motown artists such as Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, Diana Ross, The Supremes, Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson, Tammi Terrell, Four Tops, The Miracles and others. Brennan has cited Elvis Presley as his second biggest influence, claiming that: "(He) is the reason I play guitar" and also claimed in an Instagram post that Presley was the reason he started playing guitar. He considers Presley and Jackson to be: "the greatest artists of all time". He became a fan of Presley at the age, when hearing The King's version of Carl Perkins' 'Blue Suede Shoes' at school, shortly afterwards his Dad (noticing his son's interest in The King) gave him 'Girls! Girls! Girls!' on DVD. Brennan has listed Presley as his second biggest influence (Michael Jackson being his biggest). Brennan has also said that Presley's albums 'Elvis Presley' and 'Elvis' are two of the most treasured albums in his collection. The Beatles are a big influence on Brennan's style and songwriting, he has admitted that: "Whenever (he is) stuck songwriting (he) always turns to The Beatles for inspiration", he has described them as his "favourite band", and has described John Lennon as his "songwriting hero". In June 2016, Brennan and Mitchell Ripley covered 'Twist and Shout' and Brennan stated that their take on it was primarily inspired by the Beatles' version. Brennan has listed 'Please Please Me', 'With the Beatles' and 'Help!' as his Top 3 Beatles albums and has cited 'Here Comes The Sun' as his favourite Beatles song. He has shown his fondness of all the members of the band and has listed John as "the best songwriter", George as "the best guitarist", Paul as "the best singer" and Ringo as "the coolest". Brennan is a big Paul McCartney fan. When he was a child, every year when Christmas came around he spent hours listening to and singing a long to 'Wonderful Christmastime' which he has listed as his "favourite Christmas song". He has also cited The Rolling Stones as an influence to his style and songwriting and is a big fan of their debut self-titled album and has described Mick Jagger as: "the greatest front man ever!" and has also cited Jagger as a vocal and performance influence. He has also said that he has a lot of respect for Jagger and Keith Richards as Kent musicians, stating that: "Both Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are pretty much the two most famous people to ever come out of Kent". He is also a fan of Oasis, and has said that they too have impacted his style and songwriting and has also said that Liam Gallagher has been a massive influence on his voice and has also cited Noel Gallagher as a songwriting influence. He has also cited Queen as an influence and is heavily influenced by Freddie Mercury who he has cited as a vocal influence and has listed him as one of his favourite singers and his favourite front man. On 5th September, 2016 (Mercury's birthday), Brennan tweeted saying: "Happy birthday, Freddie Mercury one of my biggest influences, I wish I had an incredible voice like yours". Brennan has described Mercury as "one of the greatest voices of all time!" and has also stated that: "Freddie was one of the best voices of this generation, and if not, the best!" He has also listed Queen as one of his favourite bands, stating that: "There was a lot of Queen in my school, we use to listen to their songs in class and sing them in assemblies, songs like 'Don't Stop Me Now', 'We Are The Champions' and our all time favourite, 'We Will Rock You', we were obsessed with that song!" He is also a fan of other rock bands similar to that of the Beatles' style, like The Kinks, The Smiths, Fleetwood Mac, The Monkees and The Beach Boys. In 2014, Brennan covered 'God Only Knows' with the other fellow pupils and members of staff of Bower Grove School as a dedication to Children In Need. Punk rock band Green Day are a big influence on Brennan, he has stated that they are one of his "favourite bands ever!" He is especially fond of Billie Joe Armstrong who he has cited as a vocal influence, and has also described Armstrong as one of his "favourite singers". He has listed 'Nimrod' as his favourite Green Day album, stating in a tweet that: "I love 'Dookie' and 'American Idiot' but my favourite Green Day album has to be 'Nimrod' a true masterpiece!". Brennan has also said that 'Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)' is one of his "favourite songs to play on guitar". He has played the song live at his gigs on many occasions and some of those performances are on YouTube. He has claimed that his first introduction into Green Day was: "Because of 'American Idiot'. I'm pretty sure most people my age discovered them through that song as well. Then after that I discovered the album, 'American Idiot' and absolutely loved it! Then I discovered '21st Century Breakdown' the album after 'American Idiot'. Then I discovered that they had six albums before 'American Idiot' and listened to all them and loved every single one!" He is also a fan of pop punk bands like Blink-182, Simple Plan and Sum 41. He has cited 'Enema of the State' as his favourite pop punk album. Brennan claims that his first introduction into pop punk was through Simple Plan, stating that: "They were a very popular band during my childhood era of the early 2000s". As a child, he was a big fan of Simple Plan: "Their song 'Grow Up' was one of the my favourite songs as a child, I use to sing it all time. Oh yeah, they also did the theme song to the show 'What's New, Scooby Doo?', me and my brother use to watch that show a lot when we were kids, we loved it and we also loved the theme song and use to sing it together". Brennan is a big fan of Simple Plan's albums 'No Pads, No Helmets... Just Balls' and 'Still Not Getting Any...". Brennan has listed pop punk as one of his personal favourite genres, stating that: "As a youngster, pop punk songs are relatable". He is also a fan of more "classic" punk bands such as Sex Pistols, The Clash, the Buzzcocks and the Ramones. Brennan spoke about the Sex Pistols in a tweet and said: "The Sex Pistols were s**t musicians and couldn't play to save their lives. However, they were still a f**king brilliant band regardless", he is also a big fan of the album 'Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols' and has listed it as his favourite punk album. As a folk musician, Bob Dylan has been a massive influence on Brennan's style, genre, songwriting, lyrics, poetry and guitar playing. Brennan has personally stated that: "You can't be a folk musician without being influenced by Bob Dylan". Brennan has admitted that he looks to Dylan for inspiration, stating that: "Whenever I struggle to write a song I always think to myself.... what would Bob Dylan do?" He has also admitted that the harmonicas in his song 'Home' were inspired by the harmonica in 'Blowin' In The Wind'. Brennan has also performed 'Blowin' In The Wind' at a lot of his gigs. Leonard Cohen has also been an influence on Brennan who he has cited as a songwriting influence. Brennan has also said that Cohen has also been a massive impact on his lyrics and poetry. Brennan has described Cohen as his "favourite poet". He has also listed Cohen's song 'Hallelujah' as his favourite song to sing and is also a big fan of Cohen's album 'Various Positions'. Brennan also covered 'Hallelujah' in 2012.Michael Mikey Brennan - "Hallelujah" (Leonard Cohen Cover) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GADnCVEaNus He has also cited Jeff Buckley as an influence, stating that he has found Buckley to be a "relatable artist" to his style and has described Buckley as one of his "role models" and an "inspiration to (him) as a musician". He is also a big fan of Buckley's album 'Grace' which he has described as: "One of the greatest albums of all time". In 2014, Brennan recovered 'Hallelujah' acoustically, which he admitted was inspired by Buckley's version. Michael Mikey Brennan - "Hallelujah" (Acoustic Version) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL4nHryqB0s Brennan has described Buckley's version of 'Hallelujah' as "The best version". However, his favourite version is John Cale's version which he used to sing a long to as a child whilst watching Shrek. He is also a fan of Rufus Wainwright's version which was featured in the Shrek motion picture soundtrack. He has listed 'Accidentally in Love' by Counting Crows as his second favourite Shrek song ('Hallelujah' being his favourite). Ed Sheeran has been one of the biggest influences on Brennan and his songwriting and style, he has also claimed that Sheeran is partly the reason why he is the musician he is today, stating that: "I started playing the guitar at the age of 12 and at that time Ed Sheeran was in the charts with 'The A Team' and that's when I discovered him, he's been leading the way for me ever since then". He has also claimed that: "(He) wouldn't be the singer/songwriter (he is) today without Ed Sheeran". He is a big fan of Sheeran's album '+' which he has listed as one of his top 10 albums. Brennan has also cited Bob Marley as an influence who he has described as "The King of Reggae". Brennan remembers some childhood experiences with Marley's music, stating that: "I remember singing 'Three Little Birds' as a child". Brennan once mentioned Marley in a tweet and said: "He performed like he was the inventor of Reggae music. Reggae will never be the same without him" @MMikeyBrennan @BobMarley - 9th August, 2016 https://twitter.com/MMikeyBrennan/status/718592513045565441 and also in another tweet where he said: "He had it all, great music, great songs! He was the heart and soul of Jamaica". @MMikeyBrennan @BobMarley 9th August, 2016 https://twitter.com/MMikeyBrennan/status/718776867902386176 In October 2017, Brennan and his college band - comprising of members: Brennan (vocals), Emma Davies (vocals), James Parris (guitar), Tomi Adesida (keyboard), Jim Glazzard-Highley (bass guitar) and James Doe (drums) - performed a tribute to Marley at MidKent College's Black History Month gig where they performed hits such as 'Could You Be Loved', 'No Woman, No Cry' and 'Three Little Birds'. Brennan has also cited Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain as an influence on him as a songwriter and musician, stating that: "His poetry, his songwriting... he's an inspiration! He wasn't the best musician, but he was definitely one of the best songwriters". Brennan has also said that 'Nevermind' is one of his favourite albums and has also stated that 'Polly' and 'MTV Unplugged in New York' have been a "massive impact on (him) as an acoustic musician". In addition to Nirvana, he is also a fan of other Alternative rock bands like R.E.M, Coldplay, The Killers, Kings of Leon and U2. He has a fondness of Michael Stipe, who he has cited as a vocal influence and has listed as one of his "favourite singers". He has also said that R.E.M's songwriting has been a massive impact on him, stating that: "They wrote great songs, they created masterpieces, no alternative rock band could ever compare to them, they are the masters of the genre". He has also shown a fondness over them by describing them as "The best alternative rock band ever!". In addition to Stipe, he also cited Chris Martin as a vocal influence, stating that: "I love Coldplay, they're a great band. Chris Martin is one of my favourite singers ever. And 'Fix You' one of my favourite songs of all time". He has also cited Caleb Followill as a vocal influence and has cited Kings of Leon as one of his "favourite bands" and is a big fan of the album 'Only by the Night' and has listed 'Sex on Fire' as one of his "all time favourites". Brennan also cites Elton John as an influence to his singing and songwriting and has described him as "one of the greatest songwriters of all time". He claims that he discovered John as a child through a Bob the Builder Christmas film titled: "Bob the Builder: A Christmas To Remember" which John guest voiced in. The film also features John's song 'Crocodile Rock', which Brennan claims was the first Elton John song he ever heard (because of the film). As a child he was also a fan of The Lion King soundtrack stating that: "The Lion King soundtrack has to be the best soundtrack I've ever heard". In 2015, Brennan and his parents saw Elton John and his band live on the All Hits Tour at Kent Showground which was the first ever concert Brennan went to. He has also cited Phil Collins as a vocal and songwriting influence and has described him as a "musical genius". As a child Brennan was a big fan of Collins' Disney soundtracks, the Tarzan soundtrack and the Brother Bear soundtrack. Brennan has also admitted that Collins is his inspiration to writing love songs, stating that: "The love songs he writes are absolutely amazing and heartwarming, emotional and romantic. When it comes to writing love songs he is the expert, all of his work is brilliant. I could never write a love song that could compare to 'You'll Be In My Heart' or any love song by him for that matter". Brennan has also cited Madonna as an influence and has described her as "The greatest performer alive". He has cited 'Like a Prayer' as his favourite Madonna album and 'Cherish' as his favourite Madonna song. Brennan has also cited American actor Jack Black as an influence and is a big fan of Tenacious D and their debut album. He has claimed that the film, School of Rock was the film that inspired him to become a music student, stating that: "The film's story has really motivated me as a music student. I study by the AC/DC motto - 'It's along way to the top if you want to rock and roll" - the film, School of Rock has taught me so much!" In addition to The Jackson 5, Brennan is a fan of other boy bands such as Take That, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC and he was also a fan of JLS, The Wanted and One Direction in the past. Take That were an early influence on Brennan, he grew up listening to them purely because of his mum's interest in them, stating that: "During my childhood era a lot of mums were into Take That, as was my mum, when I was younger she used to play their music quite a lot around the house and in the car as well as a few of Robbie's tunes. I wouldn't say I was a 'massive fan' of Take That or Robbie, mum was always more into them than I was. However, it was kind of hard to escape my childhood without liking them because I use to hear their songs on the radio all the time and they were all so good, so I just couldn't dislike them. And despite not being massively into them, I still like their music and still consider them an influence and inspiration to my own work. I think what people need to consider is the fact that you don't have to be the biggest fan in the world of someone in order to be able to consider them an influence, as long as you are able to connect with their music and appreciate their work, and I appreciate Take That and have always considered them inspirational. I've never had anything against them and I don't know why I was never massively into them... it was probably because my mum overplayed them!" Brennan has also admitted that he has a lot of respect for Gary Barlow and has cited him as a songwriting influence and has labeled him as: "The best songwriter in pop music". He has also cited Robbie Williams as an influence and has listed him as one of his "pop idols". Brennan's first ever stage performance was in 2009 when he was 11 years old at his school where he performed 'Angels' in his school's Christmas production - The Xmas Factor - as a dedication to the angels from the Christmas story. Brennan has also claimed that: "The performance took place on 10th December 2009, and then two days later on The X Factor final current contestant, Olly Murs performed the song on the show with Mr. Robbie Williams, himself. What a coincidence!" Brennan's performance of 'Angels' bought female members of staff in the school to tears which Brennan has stated is "quite embarrassing looking back!" and comparisons were made after the performance, some who described Brennan as a "Yong Robbie". Brennan has also said that he is a fan of Olly Murs, stating that: "He's a great artist and has some great tunes. 'Please Don't Let Me Go', 'Thinking of Me' and 'Dance With Me Tonight' are my favourites. I've also listened to his first and second album, and I really enjoyed both of them!" Brennan is a big fan of heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Metallica, Megadeath, Pantera, Slipknot, Twisted Sister and rap metal band, Rage Against The Machine. Brennan has listed Sabbath as "the greatest metal band in the world", but he has credited Maiden as his favourite heavy metal band. Why he was a young teenager Brennan was "massively into" R&B music and was a fan of artists of that style such as Justin Timberlake, Usher and Chris Brown. He has cited Timberlake as an influence and is a big fan of the albums: 'Justified' and 'FutureSex/LoveSounds'. He has also stated that: "(Timberlake) is a genius! Every time he releases a new song it sounds even better than the previous one. His songs get better and better every time! I don't know he does it, he is such a legend!" He is also a big fan of Rap and Hip Hop artists such as Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Ludacris, Tupac, Dr. Dre and Tinie Tempah . He has listed Eminem as has favourite rapper. References External Links * Michael Mikey Brennan on Facebook * Michael Mikey Brennan on Twitter * Michael Mikey Brennan on Instagram * Michael Mikey Brennan on YouTube * Michael Mikey Brennan on Tumblr